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Monday, June 29, 2015

Every life has a different path full of sharp turns, smooth curves, and steep drop offs.Hollis Murphy has a plan—college, career, boyfriend, love, marriage, family. A predictable, normal life. She’s on track until an outside force causes her to crash and burn. They call it an accident, because that’s the only word they know to explain what happens to her. It helps everyone move on with their lives, except for Hollis. She holds on to the belief that she’s been targeted for a reason.Risher Stevenson is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the hottest boy Hollis has ever laid eyes on. He fits perfectly into her original plan for a normal life. Everyone loves him.Benton Daniels is intelligent, caring, sweet, and the bravest boy Hollis has ever met. He doesn’t fit into her life but gives it purpose and makes it extraordinary. Everyone hates him.One is bullied. One is tormented. All are judged. How will it STOP?

Okay so far Alison G Bailey is 4 for 4 for making me cry while reading her books. After I was finally able to stop the tears and the trembling - because that is the effect Stop! will have on you - and able to form a cohesive sentence I sat down to write this review. I'm still a little teary eyed just trying to type. The words, the feelings, the ray of hope you cling to, and the characters are just so in depth, so beautiful, so tangible. The fact that Alison wrote a novel centered around not one but two scenarios that affect teens on a daily basis and did it with such humility and honor is beyond me. I was taken aback by Hollis, Abigail, Risher, and Benton. They want to be loved and to be accepted but their fear and insecurities hold them back and they create barriers to try to keep their hearts whole. I felt their stories, their heartache, their pain, and their hope for a brighter a future.

Stop centers around Hollis whose life took a dramatic turn a year ago. From that accident she's lost her self confidence, her friends - except the awesome BFF Maggie-, her hope for love, and her zest for life. She's just going through the motions of everyday life until she decides she will accept her college scholarship and go away to school. There she meets Risher - whom I love - who has some secrets of his own but is pretty much the big man on campus. When he shows interest what will Hollis do?

Hollis' roommate at school is Abigial and boy does she have secrets!! She's all pink and girly and right the opposite of Hollis but yet they hit it off and become friendly. Then there's Benton. The boy in the hoodie. He seems to be every where Hollis shows up at. He's mysterious and different and when they finally do officially meet - what secrets will be revealed then???

Maybe Alison should have named this book, Secrets?!?!?!

This is a story that needs to be read and shared by everyone. It's a story of love, acceptance, learning to trust, and finally living. The characters are so intertwined there's often misunderstandings, mistakes made, and secrets kept and secrets revealed. I wanted to fight for the characters and hell I even had a hard time with not being able hug them. I wanted to kiss away their pain and hurt. I wanted to defend and protect. The momma in me came roaring out and I was taken aback by how defensive I became over them. I was left a squalling blubbering mess but it was so worth it.

There is a lot of love, patience, and growth in this book. Please take the time and sit down and read this journey that Alison Bailey takes you on. There are twists and surprises at every turn. You will not find a book like this one anywhere. It is definitely a top read of 2015.

I was given an ARC to review for Stories and Swag!

~~Shannon~~

Excerpt

“Name?” she said, impatiently.

I was so flustered that for a second I’d forgotten who I was. “Hollis Murphy.”

She scribbled something on a spreadsheet and handed me a packet with my name and the number two hundred ten typed out on the front sticker, which I assumed was my room number.

In a flat bored voice, she said, “Everything you need to know is in the packet. Should you have any additional questions or needs after reading the information, please ask your RA. Have a productive semester. Next!”

Clutching the envelope to my chest, my gaze shifted back down, and I walked quickly out of the office.

As I turned the corner, a loud deep woot! jerked my attention down the hall. I took one step before crashing full force into something solid and warm. Stumbling back, I dropped the envelope. Once my balance returned, my eyes focused on a gray T-shirt with cut off sleeves, stretched across broad shoulders. When I glanced down in search of my envelope, I couldn’t help but spot the narrow hips and round ass covered in black basketball shorts. As I squatted to pick up the envelope, a tanned forearm came into view. My gaze roamed up to find the arm was covered in bulging muscles.

Reaching for the envelope, my gaze inadvertently shot up to the warmest green eyes ever created. His dark brown hair was cut short on the sides, longer on top, and tousled. The perfect amount of scuff peppered his strong jawline, with deep dimples framing a sexy lopsided smile. The air was immediately sucked from my lungs. He wasn’t just hot, he was boy band hot.

A deep chuckle drifted down before I realized he had stood up and was extending his hand to me.

Oh boy! I get to touch him.

I slipped my hand into his and felt an immediate jolt of electricity. The muscles in his arm twitched. He felt it too.

“Thank you,” I said, as he helped me up.

“I’m Risher Stevenson.”

He was actually introducing himself to me.

It had become a habit not to look directly at anyone, especially a stranger. I automatically angled my head down and to the left, to hide the messed-up side of my face. But those green eyes locked me in place.

“Hollis Murphy.”

“Nice to meet you Hollis Murphy.”

“Sorry again about running into you. I need to do a better job at watching where I’m going.”

The tip of his tongue slipped between his lips before they formed into a slight smirk. Just as he was about to speak, his name came barreling down the hallway.

“Rish! Get your ass down here. We’ve got a ton of boxes to haul in.” A blond-haired guy was standing at the end of the hall.

“I gotta go finish helping my friends move in.”

I nodded.

Risher took three steps before turning back toward me. “Don’t do too good of a job.”

My eyebrows squished together in confusion.

“At watching where you’re going. I hate to think I won’t get rump bumped again.”

He winked before jogging away.

I Sasquatched those shoulders, those hips, and that ass all the way down the hall.

That's all I did. A few too many glasses of wine with my best friend and the bitch convinced me to go on one of those dating websites.

A one-night stand.

A booty call.

And you know what? It.was.amazing.

I spent all night in a sexy stranger's arms, hot and sweaty, until it was time to sneak out and do the walk of shame back to my apartment.

I never thought I'd see sexy stranger again, and I was totally fine with that - until my mother's wedding.

She's getting remarried, see. And sexy stranger just happens to be my new stepbrother.

All the wine in the world isn't going to make this better.

JESSICA'S 4 STAR REVIEW:

Step F*@k is 4 installments that make up one complete book, it is told in alternating points of view which I always love. Each book was easy and quick to read and each picked up right where the other left of there was not lapse in time and you never had to wonder if you missed something in between.

The story starts out with Emma and her bestie Megan who is fed up with Emma shutting herself off from the world and basically becoming a dating hermit. She is determined to get Emma back in the saddle after her douche of an ex cheated on her and she found out six months earlier. Megan who is a free spirited somewhat serial dater decides that she will set Emma up with a profile on an online dating site just to see what happens, of course Emma is adamantly against this but soon jumps in just to see what happens. Her first hit is Jai and they chat each other up and soon Megan is pushing for Emma to take a leap outside her comfort zone and just meet him and have a casual hook up.

Jai hates being in L.A and he is counting down the minutes until his father’s wedding is over so he can return home to London and leave this pollutant riddled town. Antsy and dreading the next couple of days he gets on his dating profile just to amuse himself and maybe find some entertainment while he’s in the states. He lucks out and is immediately drawn to the shy girl online and wants to have her come to the hotel. Instantly both Jai and Emma cannot deny the chemistry between them, and soon the fireworks are exploding all over the place for hours. They spend all night getting to know one another on a physical level but avoid delving much deeper as they both know they will soon part and go back to their lives and never see one another again.

Sometimes life has a sick sense of humor and after a night of off the charts amazing sex with a total stranger the last person Emma expected to be at dinner is Jai her sexy one night stand and not only is he at dinner he is about to be her new step brother in just a few days. Jai is just as stunned as Emma but being a man he lets it roll off his back and tries to convince Emma that things are ok but she pushes him away appalled at what has happened and the fact that they will soon be family. Jai is persistent and tries to make Emma see how great things can be for them and she resists at every turn. There are twists and turns and some ups and downs that make this story exciting and fun. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with a little humor and some steam thrown in.

SHELLY'S 4 STAR REVIEW:

Emma has been on a dry spell with sex since breaking up with her boyfriend. Her friend hooks her up with someone on a dating website and she heads out for a one wild night of good sex. But can she go through with it? Jai is from London but is in LA for his father's wedding. He hooks up with Emma and they have a great night.

Jai was one hot man with an accent. He was sweet, sexy, and dirty talking. He was also genuine. I was proud of Emma that she took a chance on a one night stand but that is were it ended for me. After that she could be a raving lunatic at times and very indecicive. She constantly threw up contradicting signs to Jai. She will want to make you slap her. She finally redeemed herself at the end when she decided to do what she wanted with her life.

This story was told in 4 parts and I actually liked this. Each section was a short read that took you on a wild ride from beginning to end. There was plenty of steamy sex, angst, drama (mostly from Emma) and laugh out loud moments. All of the characters were well developed and invested your emotions throughout the book.

EXCERPT #1

He doesn’t let me finish. He lets go of my wrist and grabs my hips, lifting me up onto the bathroom counter. My breath catches in my throat as my shoulders collide with the mirror. He’s kissing my neck, his hands all over me, and I wrap my legs around his torso and run my hands through his hair.

“I don’t want to be doing this,” I gasp, but we both know that’s not true. And he’s not technically my stepbrother yet.

EXCERPT #2

He starts to unbuckle his pants. “You want me to fuck you?”

“Yes.”

He pushes his pants down. “Say it.”

“I want you to fuck me.”

EXCERPT #3

I’m reaching for a napkin when I see that Jai is on the other side of the table, helping himself to a generous portion of the oysters.

“You know what they say about oysters,” he says. I pretend I didn’t hear him, but when I look over, he’s staring right at me.

“What?” I hiss. “You think you’re being clever? You think you’re going to impress me with that totally unoriginal line, like I’ve never heard that oysters are an aphrodisiac? That’s not why I took some—I happen to like how they taste very much and as a poor college student, I can’t afford to eat like this!”

He’s still staring. At my chest. Then the smirk returns. “Might want to pull up that dress, Janet Jackson.”

“What?” I look down. My left breast has completely popped out of the top of the dress, my nipple there on full display for anyone who happens to be looking. “Shit!” I try to stuff myself back in the dress, dropping the plate of salad and oysters in the process. “Fuck!”

“You know, they’ve got things you can paste on in these sorts of situations.” He reaches over and picks up the wayward oysters and puts them back on my plate.

“I’m not eating those,” I say. “I need to talk to you.”

I wriggle my shoulders and try to get myself as secure in the dress as I can before I hurry around to the other side of the buffet table. “I need to talk to you over here.” We go to the back of the restaurant, near the hallway to the bathroom, and I strategically place myself behind one of the columns that keeps us partially obscured from the rest of the restaurant.

“Imagine meeting you here,” Jai says, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I really had no idea. No idea at all. I knew I was going to be getting some stepsisters out of this blessed union, but I really had no clue—”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You expect me to believe that? You’re a fucking dog. A total fucking asshole.”

“I really do like the scarf. And the dress, too. You should’ve left the tit out. You’ve got great tits, you know.”

“I do NOT want to talk about my tits!”

“That’s certainly not the tune you were singing last night.”

“Do you realize how not funny this is? What a complete disaster this is? OUR PARENTS ARE GETTING MARRIED. That means we’re going to be brother and sister.”

“Step brother and sister. There’s a difference, darling.”

EXCERPT #4

He brings his hand up and starts to touch my hip but I slap his arm away.

“Don’t touch me!”

He looks at me intensely. “You know you want me to.” His voice is low, a cross between a whisper and a growl. “You know you’d like nothing more than for me to take you right here, rip that tiny fucking dress off of you, and fuck you senseless. You know you want that. And so do I.”

Series Reading Order

Part Two

Releasing June 25th

Part Three

Releasing July 3rd

Part Four

Releasing July 10th

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scarlett Ward

Scarlett Ward is a yoga-loving, coffee-drinking writer who finally took the plunge and wrote her first book. Her own stepbrother wasn't remotely good-looking, but the one she dreamed up for Step F*@k is absolutely DIVINE.

Scarlett hates long walks on the beach. That shit is hard. She prefers laying out by the pool with her laptop, writing her next story while working on her tan.